KARACHI: The migration of people from the interior to the big cities for better wages and employment, notably to Karachi, has been on the rise since the early 60s. Having an enormous absorbing capacity both in trade and industry and manual professions like construction, the city has successfully coped with the influx - but not without a cost in solid terms.

"Karachi is a safe haven for the migrating labour force from the interior as it has ready jobs for willing workers in various areas," says an unskilled worker. "Most of us tailor our needs to our daily or monthly wages."

The incoming work force from the interior can be broadly placed in three categories - industrial workers, skilled labour including carpenters, masons, painters, etc., and women, engaged in cooking, dishwashing, other manual work and working as maid servants.

The influx started with the industrial boom of the Ayub era in the early 60s when many new industries came up both in the Sindh industrial estate and the Landhi-Korangi industrial area.

The bulk of the male labour force, both unskilled and skilled, came in the initial stages from NWFP. The labour force met the industrial revolution of the 60s with dedication and hard work. It was a judicious blend of a nationally proud and production-oriented workforce.

The Z.A. Bhutto regime, although it stood for labour right, adopted policies including nationalization of major industries that had a negative impact both on industrial peace and relations between the employees and the employers and national production.

During the 80s, a major shift was noted in the influx of incoming labour force. It was a virtual transition from an industrial labour force to other sectors, with industrial activity slowing down in the absence of new sponsors.

The 90s witnessed the biggest population migration from Punjab to Karachi in a various forms, including unskilled and skilled labour, notably masons, carpenters, vendors and petty traders.

Southern Punjab, economically depressed and without a strong industrial base, witnessed the largest outflow by people in search of a better life. Both men and women flooded Karachi, villages and homes where their families lived for centuries.

Today both in the richer and middle-class and white collar residential areas in Karachi, almost every house has maid servants from southern Punjab working at low wages.

It is difficult to give an exact figure for the size of the rural population in a city of 10 million people, but it may run into millions, a majority consisting of women. They may still get subsistence wages, but al least they live a life better than the one of crushing poverty at home.- M.A